Elevator for trucks



ELEVATOR FOR TRUCKS Filed April 14. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR. 6 80/26 7. Za uw ATTORNEY Feb. 17. 19.25. 1,526,621

G. F. ZAUN ELEVATOR FOR TRUCKS Filed April 14, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR. aealzge a, w 1/ ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 17, 1925.

' UNITED STATES GEORGE ,F. ZAUN, OF SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA.

I ELEVATOR FO'R TRUCKS.

Application filed April 14, 1921. Serial No. 461,405.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. ZAUN, a citizen bf the United States, residing at San Bernardino, in the county of San Bernardino and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Elevators for Trucks, of which the following is a specification. V

This invention relates to trucks, and particularly elevator mechanism for trucks. The invention has for an object the provision on a truck of an elevator adapted to be attached to the truck at the rear end thereof for the purpose of elevating objects from a lower to a higher level, or vice versa. A further object of the invention is to provide an elevator which-may likewise be used as a tail gate for a truck.

In practicing the invention, assuming thatI use the tail gate, I provide posts or guide members adapted to confine rack bars which have their teeth in mesh with gear .members and mechanism for turning the gears whereby the rack bars are caused to move. The tail gate utilized as an elevator is associated with and carried by the rack bar, whereby when the rack bar moves the tail gate elevator will likewise move.

The inventor is aware that trucks have been provided with elevators, but the present invention provides for many novel features, such as the provision of means whereby the elevator may be lifted to any determined height or lowered as far as the ground. Most elevators on trucks are limited in their upward movement, only coming to the platform of the truck. However, this invention may be raised to a determined height above the level of the platform. It is obvious that an invention of this character is useful in loading box cars, in that articles may be rolled from the ground upon the elevator and the elevator lifted to the floor level of the box car.

.The invention has for further objects the provision of an improved elevating means shown in the accompanying drawings, described'in the following detailed descrlption, and finally pointed out in claims.

In the drawings: a

Figurel is a side elevation of a truck shown as incorporating the improved elevator, said elevator being shown in three positions; I

Figure 2 is a fragmentary end view of the improved elevator for trucks and showing means whereby the same is mounted to the truck;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary plan view of means used for moving the truck elevator;

Figure 1 is a side elevation of mechanism used for moving the elevator;

Figure 5 is a front elevation, certain parts being sectioned and fragmentary, showing the general arrangement'of the means used in moving the elevator of the truck; and,

Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of one of the guide posts and showing the rack bar within the same. Corresponding parts in all the figures are designated by the same reference characters.

Referring with particularity to the drawings, I have shown a motor truck A incorporating the improved elevating means designated in its entirety by B. While I have shown the improved elevator B in cooperation with a motor truck, yet at the same time it will be understood that said elevator may be utilized with vehicles other than motor trucks. The invention in particular relates to the elevator B and not to the truck A itself. The elevator and its mechanism 13 includes a pair of supporting posts or guides 1 attached to the rear of the truck,

as shown at 2. Said posts or guides 1 do not extend very far below the platform-3 of the truck A. The posts 1 are held in'position to the rear end of the truck by means of truss rods 4, two truss rods being used one for each post only one of such truss rods being shown in the drawing, the other being.

a substantial duplicate, and said truss rods are joined with the platform 3 as at 5 and with the upper end of the post 1 as shown at 6. The posts or guides 1 are hollow and preferably square in cross-section. One face of each post or guide 1 is provided with slots as shown at 7 and 7. While in Figure 1 I have shown the truck A provided with side members 8, obviously the sides may be dispensed with, inasmuch as the truss rods 4. would be suitable for maintaining a certain length of the guides or posts 1 in position. The lower ends of said guides or posts 1 are joined with or fastened to the chassis 9 of the truck so as to provide a rigid structure. The slottedportions 7 and 7 in each of the posts 1 face forwardly as shown at 10 and rack bars 11 are adapted to be received within the hollow of the guide posts 1 and in such a manner as to allow the teeth 12 of said rack bars 11 to project toward the. slots '7 and 7 in each post. Likewise joined with each of the posts 1 are bracket members 13 which are suitably jo-urnaled and carry a shaft 14'within the journaledportion, (see Fig. 6). One end of said shaft 14 carries a sprocket wheel 15 and a portion adjacent the mechanism 0 is enclosed within a housing 18, and said mechanism includes a shaft 19 suitably earried by journaled members 20 and 21 within the housing 18. One end of f the shaft 19 is provided with abeveled gear '22 which has its teeth'meshing with a further beveled gear 23 carried upon a shaft 24 which has a driven-connection with the shaft 17 through the medium of a universal joint 25 Carried upon the shaft 19 are two beveled gears 26 and 27 which have their I teeth ininesh with a beveled gear 28 carried I 1 upon a shaft 29, theshaft 29 being carried 0' T tensiouhousing 30 of the housing member 18 W1thm. the housing 30 and carried by the shaft 29 in 'suitable journaled portions within an ex is a worm gear 31 adapted to beturned' by the bevele gear 28. Joined wlth each beveled gear 26 and 27 are clutch rings 32 and 33 which carry annular iplate membersf34 and Thew clutch rings as a well as thefge'ars 26-and 27 are loosely mounted upon the shaft 191 Clutchhubs 36 and 37 whlch are provided-with.- annular plate members 38 and 39' are keyedtol-the shaft'19. Eachoftheclutch hubs has anen largedportion provided with an annulai.;-- groove" 40'and 41.. Yoke members 42 and 43 areconfined within the-annular grooves 40' and 414-1 Said yoke members are provided with extended' arms 44 and 45, each arm be-L:

showniat 46' co m -,w 'ch has f' 49 and. 50

ing pivotallyj joined to the casing 18, :as v and '47. Carried upon the '"top memberof the housing. is a control lever 48 oined to the same members avmg a ivota'i'connection-vizith.- the 'oke arms 44 an 45 respectively. Thus, as-t e lever is moved back and forth one or the other of the clutchmelnbers is rendered transverse bar 57 having an operative. Obviously then the worm member 31 might be turned clockwise'or counter clockwise, depending upon the position of the lever 48. Mounted above the worm gear 31 is aworm wheel 51 having its teeth in mesh with the teeth of the worm" gear; said worm wheel 51 is carried upon a shaftmember 52 which is received within suitable journaled portions in a curved housing member 53 mounted upon the housing 30 as shown in Figure 4. The shaft 52.1ikewise has carried thereon a sprocket wheel 54 and a spur gear 55. The spur gear 55 has its teeth normally meshing with the teeth of the rack .through the slot 7 An endless/chain member 56 is adapted to pass over the teeth of the sprocket wheel 54'and the sprocket wheel l5. Thus, when the motor is turning, a movement one Way or the other of the lever member 48 will cause the shaftomember 52 through its various gear connections, to 1'0- tate one direction or the other, and turn the chain member 56, which Will therefore turn the spur gears 16 and 55 and cause the rack bar 11 to either move upwardly ordownwardly. Only one side of the truck has been described. However, V as previously stated,- the opposite post is of similar construction and has a similar gear mechanism or elevating its rack bar; that is, the shaft 52 would extend across the truck and be suitably journaled to a portion connected with the chassis of the truck. In the construction shown 'in Figure 1 I utilize the tail gate a as the elevator member, and said tail gate is provided at its lower end with a gularly disposed extremities received Within socket members 58 and 59.

Each of-the posts 1 is provided with a longitudinal slot 60 communicating with the interior of said posts. The said socket members 58 and 59 are pivotally joined with the rack bar 11 and pro ect outwardly from each v .post through the longitudinal slot 60 in said post. Also joined with each rack bar and extending throughthe longitudinal slot 60 m -the post are members provided with eye bolts 61 and 62 to which is connected a chain member 63. Said chain member has connections as shown at 64 and 65 with the elevator member 0. Referring to Figure 1 itfivill be observed that the elevator member which is the tail gate may be revolved either into 'a.- .hori zontal position, as shown by solid at'66,,or. into a perpendicular position.

as illustrhtedin' Figure'2, at which time the tail gate.1 z1em.ber,a may be heldin suchv position y looping-the chain over hook members iua well understood manner.

- Obviously if it 'were desired to elevate a load from the latform, as shown'at 6, a movement of t e lever member 48 in one direction or theother would lower the elevator a 5 After elevator .a was 48 m a proper direction would cause one or the other of the clutch members to operate and the elevator a to move upwardly until a determined point was reached, whereupon the movement could be checked by placing the lever 48 in neutral, and the load upon the elevator could be rolled or shoved upon the platform 3 of the truck,

or theelevator might continue in' its movement as shown by the'dotted lines at 0 in Fi ure 1. v

lareferably 1 provide thetop of each post 1 with a cap member 67 to prevent moisture from contacting with the rack bars, said cap 67 being hinged as at 68 so that it can be swung out of the way when it is desired to extend the rack bars 11, as shown in Figure 1.

In case the motor is not revolving I may use a handle-for turningvthe shaft 19. To do this I preferably extend the shaft 19 beyond the housing-18, as shown at 69 A blind opening 70 is provided, and within said opening the end ofthe handle may be inserted'so as to engage a pin 71 carried upon the shaft. j

.Th mechanism just described may likewise be applied at the'forward end of the truck as illustrated in dotted lines at. d. Thus, the platform 3 of the truck may be elevated or lowered.

This device may be useful in case the truck should become stuck in mud or sand, as the rack bars could be lowered with the tail 1 gate and could be used in place of a jack as the bars would contact with the ground and lift the rear end of the truck upwardly. Obviously when this occurred timbers could be placed under'the rear wheels and the truck could be lifted] out of the mud or sand, as the case might be.

It is obvious that many changes and variations and modifications may be made in departure from the particular description and showing of the-accompanying drawings, in adapting the invention to varying conditions and requirements of use and service, without departing from the true spirit'of the invention.

Having thus disclosed my invention, I

' claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent:

said racks may serve as a jack to lift the vehicle wheels from the ground.

2. The combination with a vehicle, of a pair of hollow guide posts, each of which is provided with a longitudinal slot, racks movable within said posts, lugs thereon and movable in the longitudinal slots, a tail gate pivotally joined to such lugs, and gears in mesh with the teeth of the racks for moving said racks.

3. The combination with a vehicle, of a pair of hollow guide posts, each of which is provided with a longitudinal slot, racks movable within said posts, lugs thereon an movable in the longitudinal slots, a tail gate pivotally joined to such lugs. and gears in mesh with the teeth of the racks for movin said racks; said guide posts being provide with slgtted portions and said gears projecting through such slotted portions for engagement with the racks.

fl. The combination "with a vehicle, of a pair of hollow guide posts, each of which is provided with a longitudinal slot, racks movable within said posts, lugs thereon and movable in the longitudinal slots, a tail gate pivotally joined to such lugs, and gears in GEORGE F. ZAUN. Witnesses G. A. H. SPEYERER, M. A. Woons. 

